Railway crossing



April 11, 1944. J, v, HOUSTON ETAL 2,346,377

` 4 RAILWAY CROSSING Filed Feb. 18, v194s sheetssheet 1 iV W. I@

IN V EN TORS Patented Apr. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oFElcE RAILWAY CROSSING John V. Houston, Chicago, and Berger R. Habel, Riverside, Ill., assignors to The American Brake Shoe Company, a corporation of Delaware Application February 18, 1943, Serial No. 476,280

' 1,2 claims. (ci. 246-464) bridging the spaces between the wall members and providing intersecting flangeways and tread surfaces, are all formed in one integral casting designed appropriately for optimum foundry practice and uniform heat treatment that is resorted to for developing a desired structure in the metal, for instance, when manganese steel is used. l

Another object of the present invention is to provide a railway crossing of the box type in which the base is of continuous construction except for the provision of openings necessary for the removal of core forming material from the inside of the box structure and to provide for quenching and other necessary heat treatment; thus assuring .proper load distribution at the crossing intersection.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a railway crossing of the box type in which upstanding walls are provided at desired locations within the box structure which act as load sustaining columns serving as substantial continuations of the webs of adjacent running rails and to distribute wheel loads over the entire base and to the supporting ties.

More particularly the present invention is directed to railway crossing structures of the box type in which the load sustaining webs or columns are disposed in interconnecting relation. to the outer walls forming the box structure, and which in themselvesform'box struc-l tures Within the box formation defining the crossing structure. l

`As a further desideratum of the invention, such load sustaining columns or webs are disposed in substantial parallel relation at or ad` The invention more particularly involves a novel construction for a railway crossing struc-r ture in which the load sustaining columns or webs of diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by the said iiangeways aredisposed `to reinforce the ribs forming s aid flangeways adjacent the tread surfaces of said crossing corners, and in which the crossing structure is further developed by having the load'sustaining columns or webs of other diagonally lopposed crossing corners developed byA said flangeways in spaced relation to the said crossingcorners.

The present structure further comprehends an arrangement for the said other diagonally opposed crossing corners, as immediately above identified, arranged to be disposed in a position substantially beneath the tread surface of one of the said flangeways of the adjacent crossing branches and to be disposed in spaced relation to the ribs of the fiangeways of the other adjacent crossing branches.

As a further object, the railway crossing accordng to the immediately above described structure, may incorporate in spaced relation to the said load sustaining walls, additional load sus-` taining walls or columns spaced therefrom and disposed at the crossing corners developed by the said flangeways.

The present invention further contemplates an integral casting adapted to form a railway crossing which is of box-like construction provided with acontinuous base throughout the casting, and which extends beyond the top and upstanding webs forming certain of the crossing branches to provide supporting means for the external rails connected to said branch crossings.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a crossing structure' as immediately abovedescribed, in which the extending bases for the crossing branches are of such a design asto insure good bearing relation with the supporting ties and distribution of the traffic impacts'throughout the entire crossing structure.

As a further object of the invention the crossing herein "contemplated, with its extending base portions for ythe crossing branches, provides for suitable bearing relation with the external rails to prevent the bas o f these rails from cutting into the ties at the joint.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a railway crossing of box-like construction so formed as to facilitate connection of the same to external rails or other railway crossings by way ofsplice bars having wedging relation with-their cooperating elements to as- .sure that joints between the-said elements can be kept tight by simple maintenance procedures.

Other objects, features, capabilities and advantages are comprehended by the invention,

' as will later appear -and as are-inherently posvention;

sessed thereby.

Referring 'to the drawings- .Figure l1 is a top plan ing assembly, includingrailway crossing structure. made in, accordance with the present in- Figure 2 is plane represented,4v byline `2'-,2of Figure 1;

Figure 31s a .view inI crossfsetion tairarr-iirt`im line off-igurel ofthel plane represented by drawings; n

view of a part of a cross-A a view'linv cross-section taken in the l connection to the external rails 6 and 8.

Figure 4 is a view in cross-section taken in the plane represented by line 4--4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a view in cross-section taken in the plane represented by line 5-5 of Figure 1 of the drawings.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, a railway crossing structure embodying improvements according to the present invention is shown in part in Figure 1, which includes the two castings 2 and 4 interconnected to one another, as will be later more fully explained, and to Va plurality of external rails 6, 8, I0 and I2, the two crossing structures 2 and 4 being further connected to similar elements to form the cornpleted structure of which the drawings are illustrative of one-half thereof. The crossing members 2 and 4 are of like structure and in the further description of the invention reference-will be made only to the crossing member 2 and its The said crossing structure 2 comprises an integrally formed centrally disposed body portion I4 and the four crossing branches I6, I8, and 22, the branches I6 and I8 being adapted to connect the crossing structure to the external rails 6 and 8, respectively, and the crossing branches 20 and 22 being adapted to connect the crossing structure to other similar crossing structures, one being the crossing structure 4 which is connected to the crossing branch 20 and the other being oppositely disposed in respect to the crossing structure 2 and. which is connected to the crossing branch 22. 'i

The said crossing structure embodies a base 24 more clearly in Figures 2 to 5, which is of substantially continuous. formation throughout the crossing structure, and -an upper bridging web 26 interconnected by means of load sustaining walls or columns generally referred to as 28, of a particular formation as will be hereinafter more fully described. The bridging web 26 is developed t0 form the intersecting -iiangeways 30 and 32 by means of downwardly depending ribs 34 which terminate short of the base 24, the said ribs providing the crossing corners 36, 3 8, 40

`and 42.

The diagonally disposed crossing corners 38 and 42 are further developed by the upstanding load sustaining walls 44 and 46 which are disposed substantially beneath the marginal surfaces of the top or upper bridging web 26 defining the ilangeways 30 and 32 and serve to interconnect the ribs 34 of said angeways with the base 24 to more effectively sustain and disperse the wheel'loads of trucks passing over the crossing structure.

The other diagonally opposed crossing corners 36 and 4'8 are developed by the load sustaining walls or columns 28, each of which is provided with a wall portion 48 adjacent the marginal surface of a angeway, and a portion 56 extending substantially parallel to the other of the loads applied to the crossing.

The diagonally opposed crossing corners 36 and 40 are further developed by the wall portions 54 and 56v intersecting at the said opposed crossing corners and interconnecting the ribs forming the angeways 30 and 32 to the base 24 directly therebeneath. These wall portions 54 and 56 terminate in spaced relation to the wall portions 48, 50 and 52 and are so disposed beneath the tread surfaces for the flangeways 30 and 32 as to effectively distribute the wheel loads to which the same may be subjected.

The crossing is further characterized by the extension of the base 24 of the branches I6 and I8 beyond the bridging web 26 and interconnecting load sustaining webs 28 to provide an effective seat for the said external rails 6 and 8' andto distribute load therefrom to the supporting ties and impact stresses throughout the entire crossing structure. This provision of extending the base in the manner described further prevents the external rails 6 and 8 from cutting into the ties at the joint and provides for a connection which can be kept up by simple maintenance procedures.

The connection between the crossing structure and the external rails 6 and 8 involves the use of a guard rail 58, likewise mounted upon the base extension and maintained in proper spaced relation to the external rail by means of a spreader 60, as more particularly shown lin Figure 3 of the drawings. Each of the crossing branches, asA more particularly shown in Figures 4 and 5, has its -bridging web and base extending laterally of the load sustaining walls forming the boxlike structure of the casting, all as shown at 6I and 63 which are provided with the fishing surfaces 65 and 61, respectively, adapted to. cooperate with similar fishing surfaces of splice bars such as 62 and 64. The splice bar 62 is adapted to have fishing relation with guard rail 58, while splice bar 64 is adapted to have fishing relation with the external rail to which the branch crossing is connected. As is customary,

bolts are provided to draw the splice bars into tween said rails and crossing.

While the external rails are connected to the crossing structure in the manner above described, the present invention contemplates a similar connection between adjacently disposed crossing structures, and which more speciilcallyvincludes theuse of` splice bars 66 and 68 having fishing or wedging cooperative relation with the laterally extending web and base portion 6I and 63 of the crossing branches of the two adjacent crossing structures. This form 0f conection likewise provides for the maintenance of a tight joint be- `tween the adjacent crossing structures in the y external rails of the track with which the crossing is used. n

While there is herein described and upon the drawings shown an illustrative embodiment; of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may'cornprehend other constructions, arrangements of parts, details and features without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A railway crossing structure of substantially the character described, comprising a box-like structure formed with a centrally disposed body portion and a plurality of crossing branches for connection to adjoining running rails, said crossing structure including a base, a top portion in of one ofthe adjacent crossing branches and are disposed in spaced relation at the other end to the ribs of said flangeways of the other of the adjacent crossing branches.

the form of a bridging web, and upstanding webs integrally connecting said base and top portion, said bridging web being formed with intersecting angeways and tread surfaces, the 4portions in which the flangeways are formed being developed as downwardly presented ribs terminating short of said base, said crossing structure having diag- ,onally opposed crossing corners developed by said angeways reinforced by said upstanding webs merging into the ribs of said flangeways, and said crossing structure having other diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by said flangeways reinforced iby said upstanding webs merging into the ribs of said angeways of one of the adjacent crossing branches and reinforced by. said upstanding webs disposed in lateral spaced relation to the ribs of said angeways of the other of the adjacent crossing branches.

2. A railway crossing structure of substantially the character described, comprising a boxlike structure formed with a centrally disposed body portion and a plurality of crossing branches for connection to adjoining running rails, said crossing structure including a base, a top portion in the form of a, bridging web, and upstanding webs integrally connecting said base and top portion, said bridgingweb being formed with intersecting angeways and tread surfaces, the portions in which the angeways are formed being developed as downwardly presented ribs terminating short of said base, said crossing structure having diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by said flangeways reinforced by said upstanding webs merging into the' ribs of said ilangeways, and said crossing structure having other diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by said ilangeways reinforced by said upstanding webs in spaced relation to said crossing corners.

3. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 2. in which said upstanding webs of said last-named crossing corners merge with the ribs of said angeways f one of the adjacent crossing 6. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 2, in which said upstanding webs of said last-named crossing corners extend diagonally between the adjacent crossing branches and merge at one end with the ribs of said flangeways of one of the adjacent crossing branches and are disposed in spaced relation at the other end to the ribs of said flangeways of the other of the adjacent crossing branches, and in which the crossing structure has the other diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by the flangeways reinforced by upstanding webs merging with the ribs of said flangeways but spaced from said rst-named upstanding webs.

7. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 2, in which said upstanding webs of said last-named crossing corners extend diagonally between the adjacent crossing branches and merge at one end with the ribs of said flangeways of one of the adjacent crossing branches and are disposed in spaced relation at the other end to the ribs of said nangeways of the other of the adjacent crossing branches, and in which the crossing structure has the other diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by the flangeways reinforced by upstanding webs merging with the ribs of said flangeways but spaced from said branches and are disposed in spaced relation to the ribs of said fiangeways of the other of the adjacent crossing branches. Y

4. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 2, in which the crossing structure has the other diagonally opposed crossing corners developed by the angeways reinforced by upstanding webs merging with the ribs of said angeways butl spaced from said first-named upstanding A webs.

5. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 2, in which said upstanding webs-of said last-named crossing corners extend diagonally between the adjacent crossing branches and merge at one end with the ribs of said ilangeways first-named upstanding webs in substantially opposed relation to the diagonally disposed portion of said first-named upstanding webs.

8. A railway crossing structure of substantially the character described, comprising a box-like structure formed with a centrally disposed body portion and a plurality of crossing branches, said crossing structure including a substantially continuous base throughout the crossing structure, a top portio"` in the form of a bridging web, up-

standing webs integrally connecting said base and top portion, said bridging web being formed with intersecting flangeways and tread surfaces, the portions in which the flangeways are formed being developed as downwardly presented ribs terminating short of said base, and certain of said crossing branches having their base extending beyond the top portion and upstanding webs therefor to provide for seating relation with external rails.

9. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 8, in which splice bars having fishing relation with fishing surfaces provided on said branches and external rails are provided for securing the same together.

10. A railway crossing structure as claim 8, in which the external rail assemblies includes a guard rail, and in which splice bars having fishing relation with fishing surfaces on said branches and rails are provided for securing the same together.

1l. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 1, in which the basev of said crossing branches extends beyond the top portion and upstanding webs therefor to provide for seating relation with external rails.

12. A railway crossing structure as described in claim 2, in which the base of certain of said crossing branches extends beyond the top portion and upstanding webs therefor to provide for seating relation with external rails.

JOHN V. HOUSTON. BERGER R. HABEL.

described in CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,5%,571 Apr-11 11, 19ML.

JOHN v. HOUSTON, ET AI..

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in the above ninnbered patent was erroneously described and specified as "The AmericanBrake Shoe Company" whereas said name should have been described and specified :as --American Brake Shoe Company, as shown by the record of assignments in this office; and that the said Lettersv Patent should be read with this correction therein thatthe same may conform to the record of the case in' #the Patent Office.

signed and sealed this 8th v@my of August, A. D. 19m.

Leslie Frazer (Seal). Acting Commissioner of Patents@ v 

